Americans split on U.S. responsibility to ensure peace in the Middle East

New ABC News/Ipsos poll finds slim majority feel U.S. has a responsibility to protect Israeli citizens; two in five feel the same regarding Palestinian citizens

The author(s)
  • Chris Jackson Senior Vice President, US, Public Affairs
  • Mallory Newall Vice President, US, Public Affairs
  • Sarah Feldman Editorial Director, US, Public Affairs
  • Charlie Rollason Senior Research Manager, US, Public Affairs
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Washington, DC, October 15, 2023 — One week after the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds roughly half of Americans say the U.S. is doing the right amount to support Israel in its war against Hamas with about a quarter saying the U.S. is  doing too little. At the same time, public opinion is divided on whether the U.S. has a responsibility to ensure peace in the Middle East as a whole.

Looking at how American political parties and President Joe Biden are viewed on the conflict, a plurality of Americans say they do not trust either the Democrats or Republicans to handle the war between Israel and Hamas. For those indicating they trust one party more than the other, again, public opinion is split, with about one quarter each saying they trust Democrats or Republicans to do a better job. About two in five approve of President Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, matching his approval rating on the situation with Russia and Ukraine. Although a majority disapprove of Biden’s handling of each conflict, his approval rating in these areas is higher than his handling of crime, inflation, immigration, and other key issues in the United States.

Graphs with the headline, "Americans are split on U.S. responsibility to support peace in the Middle East "

Detailed Findings:

1. Attitudes are split on whether the U.S. has a responsibility to ensure peace in the Middle East. Democrats and Republicans agree more on this responsibility, as well as the responsibility to protect Israelis, than on questions related to Palestinian statehood.

  • Overall, 46% say the U.S. has a responsibility to ensure peace in the region, while 50% say it does not. Three in five Democrats (59%) see this as a U.S. responsibility, alongside 48% of Republicans and just 39% of independents.
  • Majorities of Democrats and Republicans alike also agree it is the U.S.’ responsibility to protect Israeli citizens (63% and 52%, respectively) and fight terrorism in the Middle East (64% and 56%, respectively).
  • About two in five Americans believe America has a responsibility to protect Palestinian citizens (41%) and about a third say the U.S. has a responsibility to work toward a Palestinian state (31%). In both instances, there is a wider gap between Democrats and Republicans, with more Democrats than Republicans indicating the need to back Palestinians.

2. Almost half of Americans believe the U.S. is doing the right amount to support Israel against Hamas.

  • Forty-nine percent say the U.S. is doing about the right amount to support Israel in its war with Hamas. This is particularly true for Americans over age 50, Democrats, and independents, of whom a majority say the U.S. is doing the right amount.
  • Over a quarter (29%) of Americans say the U.S. is doing too little to support Israel in its war with Hamas. Republicans are more likely to say the U.S. should provide more support with half expressing that sentiment.
  • Overall, 18% say the U.S. is doing too much to help Israel in its war with Hamas. Here, too, there is a difference by age, as Americans under age 50 are more likely to feel the U.S. is doing too much, though only a minority feel this way.
  • U.S. involvement in Ukraine tells a slightly different story. While a plurality (42%) says the U.S. is doing the right amount to support Ukraine in its war against Russia, more say the U.S. is doing too much (33%) rather than too little (22%). These attitudes are consistent with an ABC News/Ipsos poll from January.

3. Overall, Americans do not express confidence in American political leaders’ action on Israel – either for the major parties or President Biden. But these topline numbers mask a deep partisan divide on who Americans would back to handle the issue.

  • When asked which political party they trust to do a better job handling the Israel-Hamas war, 37% of Americans say neither. A quarter each says either the Democrats (24%), or the Republicans (26%), and 12% say both equally.
  • Partisans are significantly more inclined to pick their side: 70% of Democrats say they trust the Democratic Party to do a better job, and 72% of Republicans say the same about the Republican Party. However, a majority of independents (54%) say neither party.
  • Forty-one percent approve of President Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, and the same share approve of his handling of the Ukraine conflict.
  • For comparison, about one third or fewer Americans approve of Biden’s handling of domestic issues like crime (33%), gun violence (32%), inflation (29%), immigration and the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border (26%).
  • Two-thirds of Democrats (67%) approve of Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, compared to his higher approval ratings on issues like abortion, climate change, and the conflict in Ukraine, where approval ratings are hovering around 75%.
  • Roughly one in five Republicans say they approve of Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas (18%), significantly higher than the single-digit support he earns from this group on issues like inflation, gun violence, and foreign policy toward Iran.

About the Study

This ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted October 13 to 14, 2023, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 518 adults age 18 or older. One respondent was removed from the final data for refusing all of the survey items.

The survey was conducted using KnowledgePanel, the largest and most well-established online probability-based panel that is representative of the adult U.S. population. Our recruitment process employs a scientifically developed addressed-based sampling methodology using the latest Delivery Sequence File of the USPS – a database with full coverage of all delivery points in the U.S. Households invited to join the panel are randomly selected from all available households in the U.S. Persons in the sampled households are invited to join and participate in the panel. Those selected who do not already have internet access are provided a tablet and internet connection at no cost to the panel member. Those who join the panel and who are selected to participate in a survey are sent a unique password-protected log-in used to complete surveys online. As a result of our recruitment and sampling methodologies, samples from KnowledgePanel cover all households regardless of their phone or internet status and findings can be reported with a margin of sampling error and projected to the general population. KnowledgePanel members receive a per survey incentive, usually the equivalent of $1 (though for some it is $2) in points, that can be redeemed for cash or prizes. No prenotification email for this study was sent prior to field. Panelists receive a unique login to the survey and are only able to complete it one time. One reminder emails was sent for this study.

The study was conducted in both English and Spanish. The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, household income, and party identification. The demographic benchmarks came from 2022 Current Population Survey (CPS) from the US Census Bureau. Party ID benchmarks are from recent ABC News/Washington Post telephone polls. The weighting categories were as follows:

  • Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45–59, and 60+)
  • Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other or 2+ Races Non-Hispanic, Hispanic)
  • Education (High School graduate or less, Some College, Bachelor and beyond)
  • Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
  • Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
  • Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
  • Party ID (Democrat, Republican, Independent, Something else)

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.11. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples. Sampling error is only one potential source of error. There may be other unmeasured non-sampling error in this or any poll. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Chris Jackson
Senior Vice President, US
Public Affairs
+1 202 420-2025
[email protected]

Mallory Newall
Vice President, US
Public Affairs
+1 202 374-2613
[email protected] 

About Ipsos

Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing over 18,000 people.

Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. We serve more than 5000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions.

Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1st, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and the Mid-60 index and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).

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The author(s)
  • Chris Jackson Senior Vice President, US, Public Affairs
  • Mallory Newall Vice President, US, Public Affairs
  • Sarah Feldman Editorial Director, US, Public Affairs
  • Charlie Rollason Senior Research Manager, US, Public Affairs

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